Indie Film Budgeting: A Seminar with Producer Jack Binder

A film budget is an essential element for every independent film, not only shoot your film but also to create a financing and/or business plan (whether it's for pre-sales or equity). If you don't know how much you need, how can you know how much to ask for? Oftentimes filmmakers make the mistake of doing the budget on their own instead of with a qualified line producer who knows the real, hard costs associated with making a film, hiring talent, dealing with unions, and much, much more.

• Why hire a Line Producer to do your budget?
• What are some easy ways to decrease your budget or things to consider when needing to lower your budget
• Top 3 things most Filmmakers forget to budget for
• ATL vs BTL expenses
• Most expensive things in budget

Jack Binder has been producing quality feature films and television with his brother, writer/director/actor Mike Binder, since 1985, beginning with HBO's, The Detroit Comedy Jam, and culminating with Reign Over Me (Columbia Pictures), starring Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle in 2006.

After joining up to produce live and filmed comedy programming with then stand-up comic and writer, Mike Binder, Jack moved to Los Angeles and worked his way through the production ranks via HBO Original Programming Series and Comedy Specials, and feature films with Michael Phillips Productions & Mercury/Douglas Films (Close Encounters, The Sting, Taxi Driver).

Joining back up with his brother Mike, Jack worked on Coupe de Ville (Universal), directed by Joe Roth, written by Mike Binder, and co-produced both Crossing The Bridge (Touchstone) and Indian Summer (Touchstone); both written and directed by Mike Binder.The two then formed Sunlight Productions in order to make independent comedy films, including The Sex Monster (starring Mike Binder, Mariel Hemingway), Londinium (Starring Colin Firth, Mariel Hemingway, Mike Binder, Irene Jacob, Stephen Fry), and The Search For John Gissing (starring Alan Rickman, Janeane Garofalo, Mike Binder, Alan Corduner, Juliet Stevenson).

Sunlight Productions continued television and filmmaking with Jack Producing HBO's, The Mind of The Married Man, as well as The Upside of Anger (New Line Cinema), starring Joan Allen, Kevin Costner, Mike Binder, Erika Christensen, Keri Russell, Evan Rachel Wood and Alicia Witt, and Man About Town (Lion's Gate Films), starring Ben Affleck, Rebecca Romijn, John Cleese, Mike Binder, Gena Gershon, Kal Penn and Adam Goldberg; all written and directed by Mike Binder.

In addition to Binder's role as Founding Partner & Producer at Sunlight Productions Jack created Greentrees Films & Media to advance his goals of producing quality film & television projects for the worldwide audience, and likewise created and is President of FilmBudget.com which provides to fellow filmmakers reliable, professional, accurate and proven budgets & schedules.